If there was anyone with a highly anticipated rookie debut in a long time, it is undoubtedly Cooper Flagg, one of the youngest players ever to debut in NBA history. It was clear during the summer that head coach Jason Kidd planned to push him into some uncomfortable positions.
“I don't look at the position. I want to put him at point guard. I want to make him uncomfortable and see how he reacts (to) being able to run the show," Kidd said. “We want to push. And I think he's going to respond in a positive way. It's all right to fail. It's all right to turn the ball over. We've talked about that.”
Flagg impressed throughout the summer, but even more importantly, he earned the ultimate nod of approval from the locker room.
“The other thing that I think has gone unnoticed is that his teammates enjoy him running this team. That doesn't happen in this league. I think that's a plus,” Kidd said.
Flagg didn’t score his first points until the second half and looked timid at times. He kept it real when assessing his own performance after the game.
“Not great," Flagg said when asked to assess his performance. "Obviously, didn't play incredibly well, but we've got to move past it, turn our focus and start looking toward Friday [against the Washington Wizards]."
Despite not playing as well as he wanted, Flagg still posted a double-double, putting himself into franchise history.
“Cooper Flagg became the fifth rookie in Mavs history to record a double-double in debut, w/ 10 points and 10 rebounds,” Dallas Mavericks reporter Landon Thomas wrote.
For many, Flagg’s debut was a letdown — but that perspective stems from the unrealistic expectations placed on him since his arrival at Duke.
Flagg is still younger than 20 years old, and the fact that he still put up a double-double is already better than what most rookies achieve. The season looks bright for Flagg, despite the so-called slow start.